An environmentally benign aqueous protocol for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones and thiones promoted by a green catalyst, silica gel-supported L-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid-4-hydrogen sulfate, has been developed. The use of nontoxic, thermally stable and inexpensive amino acid catalyst makes the process simple with minimal amount of chemical waste. Compared with classical Biginelli reaction conditions, this new method has the advantages of high yields and simple workup procedures.
